Second String Fighters
by Hawk Strife
Summary: With the disappearance of Fox McCloud and the disbanding of Star Fox, the Lylat system is filled with dangers thanks to the notorious Star Wolf. Todd, a young pilot with a shady past, attempts to make his living as a freelance pilot, with dreams of one day reaching the skill and fame of the Star Fox team. Will he succeed? Or will his past catch up with him in the dangers of space?


I've decided to start up a Star Fox story, because I felt a sudden drive when I had a decent understanding of these characters one day. I hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 1 - When Heroes Are Forgotten

_The Lylat system…  
In a small corner of the expanding universe, this solar system sits with several lush and habitable planets.  
Peace and prosperity are well known, though it isn't always long lasting.  
More than once, the genius inventor Andross brought war and destruction across each planet in the system, expanding the reach of his power until he finally closed on Corneria.  
It was only thanks to the brave and skilled hands of James McCloud and his Star Fox team that Andross failed, though this triumph came at the cost of his life and would not keep Andross at bay forever.  
When the Venom leader eventually returned to wreak havoc across the system, Lylat was saved once again, this time because of the efforts of a new Star Fox team, led by James McCloud's own son, Fox.  
Fighting off the entirety of Andross' armada, Star Fox reached Venom and destroyed Andross completely. For years after, the names of the Star Fox squadron would be remembered and spoken of highly.  
Years passed, and the Star Fox squadron would come across many adventures leading to great triumphs, and some terrible tragedies. They fought Star Wolf, Dinosaurs, and eventually the dreaded Aparoids, nearly indestructible and insatiable creatures. The campaign that Star Fox led against these creatures was its toughest yet, and brought Fox to the edge of despair with the risk of losing his friends, and the love that he held for Krystal.  
The team eventually disbanded, and Fox left to travel the system with the new Great Fox, an improved carrier granted to him by the Cornerian Military, and with General Pepper's sincere gratitude.  
Time passed as Fox fought his battles alone, until he suddenly disappeared along with the Great Fox. His whereabouts remain unknown.  
And with no Star Fox to support the defense of the system and strive for peace where the Cornerian military could not reach, Pirates returned to their prime, led by the ever-infamous Wolf O'Donnell and his Star Wolf squadron.  
The system turns, and the era becomes one of an empty peace as outlaws run rampant and unchecked. Already the skirmishes turn harsher as sides begin to realize the limits of their power.  
The turn of the century is coming…but who will lead it…?_

In the void of space, four Cornerian fighters with tan and green military colorings cut through at a cruising speed with silence and ease. They flew in a loose cross formation, and flew free and clear of any major debris. Within the fighter to the rear, Todd sat with a set of wide eyes as he looked from side to side, searching the black background of space and the stars around him for anything unusual. The green visor of his helmet aided him, targeting any small asteroids or major issues, and marking the other fighters he flew with as friendlies.

They flew a patrol around a large, grey transport with simple markings as they flew closer to a familiar brown planet with white clouds sporadically covering its surface. The fighters moved into a 90 degree turn one-by-one, and eventually the planet left Todd's view, forcing him to search for anything unusual within the dull emptiness. Even still, his blood pumped a little faster than usual as he followed the other fighters closely.

"Scepter 1 to Magnolia, come in." Said a static-ridden voice over the communications channel.

"This is transport Magnolia, go ahead."

"Patrols over and done with. All clear until Katina. Request RTB, over."

The next few minutes passed uneventfully as Todd waited behind his flying comrades. After a few cycles in a holding pattern, the four Cornerian fighters landed one after the other in quick fashion. And as the fighter jostled to a stop, hanging near the ceiling of the hangar, Todd pulled off his helmet and quickly grabbed at an itch behind his grey-furred fox ear that had been bothering him for some time. He wore a stark white jumpsuit, with a five-digit number along his chest and a simple black patch on his shoulder with no emblem within. And along his collar, if someone looked closely enough, others could see that he bore no rank.

As he opened the cockpit and hopped out of the fighter, he gave a friendly wave to the other pilots within the same patrol. One of their pilots had gotten sick recently, and instead of having the patrol scrubbed entirely, they took Todd along as one of the freelancers that had been hired for the trip. They didn't pay him very much mind though, as they headed off. But instead of bothering him, he just shed much of the gear hanging off of him, and started to walk over the mess hall, hungering for...well anything at this point. It was the best way to pass the time as the transport ship started on its final run towards the planet of their destination, Katina.

The military planet was the home for the Katina Flight Academy and had much of its territory devoted towards military bases, outposts, and factories. There were a few cities and districts for civilians, and those soldiers that were either retired or simply off-duty. But the land itself had little life in it to sustain the population without a constant supply of food and water being brought in from all over the Lylat system.

Thanks to that, supply lanes and transport missions like this one were common, as were pirate attacks. Todd sighed as he took a sip of his water, wiping the grey fur under his chin as he watched the planet grow closer through the small transparent aluminum wall. His thoughts were a jumble as he wondered how quickly the next job would line up. Single and double transport missions ran at a nearly constant rate since the payload they brought was almost never able to provide enough supplies for the entire planet. But any type of convoy that was larger ran a serious risk.

Whether it was because of the larger amount of paperwork, the number of people, or the general amount of energy a large convoy would expend, there was always a high chance for a pirate attack. There were many instances in which a large convoy brought along horror stories as they were brutally attacked and massacred. And the Cornerian fleet couldn't always spare the carriers and cruisers needed to make sure the convoy passed by unhindered.

Todd's mind started remembering some of the headlines along the Lylat Network from when Fox was first labeled MIA. Not long after that announcement, Star Wolf started performing bold attacks, and strengthened their influence throughout the corners of the system. The grey-haired pirate sparked another bout of memories from the fighter pilot as he stared into the muddy lumps in his stew. It was good that they'd avoided danger.

Todd felt some relief at that fact.

He started to look around at the rest of the crew now, eating on tables across from him or next to him, and Todd released another sigh of relief, but for a different reason. Even after the weeks the crew spent in space, bunked with different pilots, and left with very little personal room, he was only known by Todd.

"Careful there Merc," said a stern feminine voice next to him, "keep breathing like that and you won't leave any air for the rest of us."

Before she had taken a seat in the bench across from him, Todd already knew who had spoken. A snow white fox with groomed fur and a neatly pressed Cornerian military-blue uniform looked over at him with a small, professional smile. Her uniform was in stark contrast to Todd's, especially with the two bars that hung on either side of her collar that ranked her as a Lieutenant. Though, he didn't need to look closely to know that already. "Sorry, just thinking. I'll try to leave some air from now on," He said with a smile as he took another mouthful of stew.

The fox looked back at Todd with her head cocked to the side, "Thinking about what exactly?"

Todd remained silent for a bit. The girl was Lieutenant Kyu, one of the actual military officers, likely transferring in from a station in Corneria. She was friendly enough, taking the time to try and get to know some of the crew, and some of the freelance workers as well. She soon continued, "You're a pretty quiet guy Todd...I don't think I know all that much about you."

Todd shrugged his shoulders, trying to hide the fact that that had been his intention all along. "Well, I suppose this is the first time you've worked through a third-party backer, instead of through the military itself."

"And you'd be right, which brings up another question," She started with an arched brow, "how are you not already flying for the Cornerian military?"

Todd kept his eyes away from the white fox, instead focusing on Katina, "Maybe I'm just not cut out for military duty. Working a mercenary pays my dues pretty well."

Kyu laughed sharply, causing Todd's hair to go on end. It always did that when he knew he'd been caught in a lie. "You've been the height of conduct." She said confidently, and started counting things out with each gloved finger, "You're always on time. You volunteer for any duty. You've never caused any trouble. And you could probably outfly enough pilots here to earn you more than just a little respect."

Todd cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed at the praise and a tad bit anxious seeing as how many of the other crew members were starting to look over at the two of them, curious at the ruckus. He also started to wonder if Kyu would say the same things if she'd known more about himself. His spirits lowered, probably not. "Let's just say," he started, "that there are a few things keeping me from being allowed in the military."

"What? Like a black mark?" Kyu said, a sudden spark of curiosity in her eye. It made Todd wonder what type of person Kyu was when she wasn't ordering people around. She must have realized how she looked, because she turned stern again, "Todd, I'm a Lieutenant. I know enough people. I can get that wiped off, and get you on the fast track through the Academy." She said confidently, "You'd have a real team. A patch to put over your arm. You could make a career for yourself as a pilot, as an Officer!"

Some of that hit a cord within Todd's mind. It took all of his willpower to avoid looking over, or reaching at the black patch on his shoulder. He was really glad for his fox blood at that point, his mother had always been a bit sly. The patch itself wasn't what bothered Todd, but the meaning behind it. It was more than just a simple means of identification. It was a form of social rank, especially towards other military pilots, or members of a particular mercenary or trade guild. They had a team they could trust, but Todd was alone even among the black patch.

'If you only knew...' Todd thought to himself. In the end, it was better this way. The fewer people knew of him, the easier it would be to make a living. He tried to offer a sincere smile at Kyu and nodded his head, "Well...let me think about it then. I'm...I guess I'm just trying to make a real decision," He lied. He knew it was a great opportunity, but it just wasn't possible.

Kyu looked at him with her orange eyes. It was fairly evident she didn't believe him, but she relaxed and leaned away from the table, "Well, at least that's a start."

A tone suddenly echoed from the intercoms above them and echoed throughout the ship, before a computerized voice spoke, "Attention. This ship will now commence atmospheric entry. Report to your stations, or return to your designated bunks. Repeat. This ship..."

Todd took a few more quick bites of his meal as everyone began to move away from the mess hall to wherever they would need to go. The cooks moved to put seals over the food, and closed the kiosks to the slight dismay of some of the people that were still in line. Todd, on the other hand, knew he didn't have much reason to rush since he would just rest in his bunk for the remainder of the trip. "I'll see you on the ground then." He said with a wave.

"Sure," Kyu said with a smile and a wink as she stood up and straightened her uniform, "I've got some time before my next assignment, so how about you show me around some parts of Katina? I haven't actually been here before."

Todd couldn't help but grin a bit as he scratched a spot behind his ear, "Of course!" He gave a light salute as Kyu walked away, and then finished up the rest of his meal.

After he weaved between a few people in the hallways, Todd finally reached his room. He shut the door behind him and then laid down onto the bottom bunk, leaning upwards to knock on the bunk above him to see if there was anyone there. A groan, and a swish of long, thin tail told him there was, another freelancer that Todd had met with a few times.

"Damnit Todd, don't you ever let people sleep in? I thought foxes were supposed to be the quiet types." Said the top bunk as the black furred rat stuck his head out and wiped a bit of the sleep from his eyes.

Todd laughed as he shrugged his shoulders, "Gotta do something before we land."

"Well goddamnit Todd, go do it without me!"

"Sorry Bit," Todd said as he grabbed hold of a strap that was hanging on the ceiling of the bunk, "can't leave the room during re-entry."

The rat groaned as he crawled back under the covers. "Goddamned, flea bitten, rotten, no-good..." He grumbled until Todd could no longer hear anything he could understand. Still, Todd had a content grin on his face.

The ship shook a bit as it began to break through the atmosphere, a strange sensation took hold as the natural gravity of the planet began to push down along with the artificial gravity of the ship. Todd ignored it as he kicked up his metal legs* and relaxed. It was the best way to go through re-entry.

While transportation by air, or even by hover car or bike might be either a faster or smoother ride, the Katina Public Monorail System was by far cheaper and just as dependable to many. Built using the same system implemented on Corneria, the monorail provided transportation that eventually moved throughout the planet, though the maintenance on the trains and the rails were usually lacking to a certain degree, especially as you came closer to outskirt cities and towns that tended to be surrounded with dust and barren landscapes.

Todd felt comfortable sitting in the ricketing, side-to-side motions of the aging monorail as it sped along to one of the civilian district city, known as Keppler. His companion, Kyu, on the other hand, looked as if she might grow sick at any point in time from the constant shaking.

It had surprised him, but only a few hours after the crew had de-boarded the Magnolia, and Todd had changed into his civilian clothing, he met up with Kyu. She was still in her uniform, though she'd unbuttoned the collar, and wasn't wearing the Spaceforce cap that Officers commonly wore. Still, as obvious as it was that she was being casual, she remained in stark contrast to Todd's torn white vest, blue shirt and worn-out white jeans. Though as far as he knew, no one ever paid attention.

"You know," Kyu started as she tightened her grip on the handrail next to her and caught Todd's attention, "I didn't think we'd need to go this far to see a few good places and get a drink."

Todd laughed as he leaned against the side of the tram, "There isn't much to see on Katina. But if you want a few good drinks, you're better off farther away from the military bases."

"How does that work?" Kyu said as she walked over to Todd and tentatively leaned on the wall next to him.

Todd shrugged as he thought it over for a bit, "Soldiers move around all the time. It's the folks that stay here and call it home that try to make this planet into something."

"You call Katina home?" Kyu asked.

Todd looked out the window, and watched the skies for a moment. It was always just a bit orange from the rock and dust that filled the air. Even with the sun hanging high in the sky, most newcomers would feel like they were seeing the light of dusk. People that spent much of their lives here, however, would know better, "Close enough." Todd said, "Nowhere else for me to go though, honestly."

"That's a little vague, Todd," Kyu said with a snicker, "Trying to seem more mysterious than you really are?"

Todd grinned a bit as he shrugged his shoulders. The truth was he just wasn't sure what he could say without giving himself away. It didn't take very much information to make connections he didn't want made. A sudden shock from the monorail sent Kyu to the ground, while Todd teetered upright with expert balance. "Almost there." He said as he reached down to offer Kyu a hand up.

Kyu groaned as she pulled herself up, rubbing her rump a bit as she looked him over, "How can you tell?"

"That bump's knocked me over too many times for me not to remember it," Todd said with a laugh.

Kuma Bar was a decently busy establishment most hours of the day. The inhabitants from Keppler city agreed that the bar had both better drinks and a good owner. Barney, the bear bartender, owner, and bouncer, kept things running at a smooth pace, and enjoyed tending to the patrons day after day. He was also fairly understanding. Should anyone cause too much of a ruckus, or drink themselves too hard, he would throw them out. But he never stopped them from coming back in the next day though, even if they did overdo it again.

Barney could handle it.

As Todd entered through the open doorway to the bar, he was greeted by familiar sites and a calm atmosphere. The black bear was standing behind the bar, watching a game being played on the television set above him as he wiped down a glass.

Tyra, a womanly white tiger, waitered around each table, picking up empty glasses and bottles, and nudging a few people awake with a swift kick to their legs. She was the first to notice Todd walk in and smiled a toothy grin as she set the dirty glasses down on the bar top and skipped over to bring him into a tight hug. "Welcome back!" She said as she lifted him up a bit with ease.

Barney finally tore his eyes away from a dropped catch on the screen and saw the familiar spectacle. "Back already? I figured you'd be gone for two weeks or something."

"I _was_ gone for two weeks," Todd grunted out under the hug tightening around his chest. Kyu stayed back, hiding a laugh as Todd continued to lose air.

When Tyra finally let Todd down, she had already noticed his companion, "And this would be?" She said, noticing that Kyu was in uniform, if a bit disheveled.

"My name's Kyu," She said with a smile, "I was with Todd on the Magnolia during the voyage."

"Good!" Barney said boisterously as he served a few drinks on the bar top, "You can both tell us the adventure! Shoot down any pirates, kid?" He half-shouted at Todd as Tyra pushed the two of them to the bar.

"Only if you count asteroids," Todd said as he got comfortable, and took a sip of his drink, "it was pretty quiet actually."

"Quiet?" Barney said with a confused quirk in his voice, "Since when is something 'quiet' and not 'boring' with you?"

"I mean," Barney continued even as Todd obviously looked over at Tyra nervously, "aren't you always saying that you'd like to turn those transport missions into a good pirate hunt?" the bear landed his fist against the palm of his other hand, emphasizing on the last word.

Todd felt his hair stand on end as he narrowed his eyes at Barney with an unamused look on his face, but he could tell that Barney just didn't realize. The two had always been almost kindred spirits when it came to thinking of or talking about war stories, but the bear could be so goddamned dense sometimes.

To his chagrin, Kyu understood all too easily as she looked back at Todd with an amused look in her eyes.

Tyra spoke up quickly, "Maybe he was trying to look good for the lady, Barney."

Barney paused for a moment, and a quick look to Tyra brought an embarrassed frown to his face as he started to mumble to himself about cleaning another glass.

There was a bit of silence between the two at the bar as the each looked at their drinks with different emotions. One was ready to laugh, the other was frowning heavily.

"I'm really not that bloodthirsty." Todd said as he looked into his drink.

"Ooh, I was going to use the word adventurous. But I suppose that works too." Kyu said with a stern look on her face until Todd sighed in dismay. She then let loose a laugh before she herself started to take deep gulps of her drink.

"So then," Todd began with a smirk as he pointed at the bear, "That's Barney. And that is Tyra. They've been running this bar for a couple years."

"And this is the best place to go in Keppler?"

"Oh yeah. I've been coming here since I was a kid." He pointed to the corner where a small flight simulator lay with flashing lights, "I probably still have some high scores on that thing."

Curious, Kyu moved over to the simulator, a mischievous grin as she remembered her own times playing. Her eyes quickly moved from the screen up to a decent sized poster, with four cool pilots posed under a nostalgic logo. "Star Fox?" she whispered, and then looked further along the wall, noticing many small trinkets and memorabilia that were Star Fox related. They were either hanging on the wall, or placed on a small bar shelf just out of her reach. A small Arwing model here, a signed photo there. At some point, Kyu began to realize that the bar itself was covered.

"Yeah, it's a pretty decent collection too," Todd said as he smiled at the poster above the simulator. That one had always been his favorite.

"Where did...? Did Barney get all of these himself?" Kyu questioned in awe as she found a very old picture, with a younger looking Peppy Hare, but two other pilots she didn't recognize. One looked like Fox but with a set of black sunglasses covering his eyes, and a more serious and calm demeanor.

"A good bit of it is, but a lot of it came from other people...fans, former supporters, people who used to come by everyday."

Kyu looked over to the bar where Barney stood staring into space while Tyra talked into his ear about something, "Is there any reason?"

Todd took a seat in the simulator, reliving old experiences as the crappy graphics for enemy fighters passed overhead. He held the worn throttle in his hand and wondered if he should try to his old high score again. Instead, he focused on the question, "Barney used to be a Cornerian soldier. A tank commander during the second Andross War. He was on Macbeth."

Kyu's look at the bear quickly changed to one of respect as she turned towards Todd, "That was a hard fight."

"Yes it was," Tyra said, her decent ears picking up the conversation as Barney kept working, "He used to tell stories about it all the time too, when this place was busy." She looked over the empty building with a sigh.

"Is everything still going all right?" Todd said, a hint of concern that Kyu hadn't heard too many times before from him.

"We're paying the bills. But only barely." She said, "Still, that wasn't really the point in the bar. We wanted a place for fans."

Tyra looked wistfully at some of the memorabilia, "We even dreamed that maybe we'd bring the old team here one day."

"That won't happen," said the bartender with a bitter tone in his voice. He slammed his glass down on the table, eyes narrowing at the hard top for a minute, and then continued to clean as he shook his head.

The bear didn't say anything else, relegating himself to his work instead of going on a rant, but Todd understood. The Star Fox team had been his heroes too, everything he had ever idolized and driven himself to be. A team of ace pilots free to roam and fight for what they believed in. Mercenaries in some aspects, but never one to take a job with moral ambiguity. And always willing to take a challenge.

But after they disbanded, and Fox McCloud disappeared, the public opinion quickly changed when piracy and the Star Wolf team took to unleashing havoc on shipping lanes and Spaceforce ships unhindered. It was also a well known fact that a former Star Fox member, Krystal, now flew Star Wolf's colors.

It was easier for people if they had someone to blame for their predicaments. While they blamed the source of their woes, they also turned an angry eyes at their absent protectors.

Kyu could imagine that during those days, fewer and fewer people came to the bar for anything besides a stiff and bitter drink. Noting the thick silence, she gave Todd a quick push, "Come on pilot, you any good at this game?"

Todd's smile widened into a grin, "Lieutenant, this game is here for only one good reason. And that's to get a beat on by me!"

There was a pause as Kyu hid a smirk behind her hand, and Tyra shook with silent laughter. Todd had a strange grimace on his face, "That sounded bad."

"Yes, it did."

'The day passed quicker than I expected,' Todd realized as he and Kyu stepped out of the monorail, standing back in the Spaceforce port. With the cargo pulled and the paperwork processing, the freelance pilots and workers were now able to come back in and receive payment for their hard work. It was a process that made sense to businesses, and Todd couldn't really argue with it. By making sure the job was completed before making payments, any pirate attacks could be investigated before any money was passed on. It made life a little harder for freelance workers, but it gave transports assurance that no pirate would ever get away from justice.

Still, as Todd took his place in the long line leading to the payment office, he started to wish he'd at least brought a book of some kind. The line he stood in spread out under an arched ceiling with glass skylights all along the top. Within the room, the turmoil of a thousand voices echoed around the wall people crossed paths in mid-conversation. Some were soldiers and cadets from the academy, and the nearby base, while others were travelers going from planet to planet.

"Is this normal for you?" Kyu asked with mild surprise on her face.

Todd nodded his head, "This might actually start moving a little faster. With no incidents and a small crew, there's really very little to investigate with each person."

"Sounds rough nonetheless."

"Nothing to do but accept it. And you can't get your money any other way as a freelancer."

"Well if that's the case, maybe you really should reconsider working as a mercenary." Kyu said, and before she had finished her sentence, Todd had already raised his arms in surrender.

"I know, I know. Trust me, I'll consider it." He quickly said as the line started moving forward. Even he admitted, he wished he could just join a group and take the implied trust that came with it. Standing for so long a period of time at the port, and so close to the academy, usually made him a little nervous.

A flash of black passed by his eyes, and breathed in sharply. He held his breath, listening intently to the droll around him. A few seconds passed, and nothing stood apart from the norm.

"What are you doing here, O'Donnell?" A voice then called out from across room, echoing over, as part of the bustling crowd suddenly grew silent. It was a familiar voice, causing Todd's hair to stand on end. He stayed silent, looking straight ahead at the next person in line, hoping that the world would keep spinning.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, O'Donnell!" The voice shouted again, much closer this time as Todd felt a hand grab hold of the collar of his vest and threw him onto the spaceport's dusty floor.

A quick glance confirmed everything he had figured, as the yellow glowing eyes of an Iguana in full military uniform stared down at Todd. His face was covered in red-brown scaly skin, with a long jagged scar crossing along the top of his skull, and the frill on the top of his head cut short. Todd felt another sigh coming on as he pushed himself back up and onto his feet, "Good to see you too, Spike."

"Damn mutt!" Spike shouted as his naily claws grabbed Todd tightly and held him up, "You aren't welcome here!"

"Hey!" Kyu shouted finally, overcoming her shock at the sudden and unprovoked attack, "Who do you think you are knocking someone over like that, soldier!? Didn't they teach you manners in basic training!?"

Spike turned an eye towards Kyu, regarding her uniform, "This is none of your business, ma'am," He shook Todd as he continued, "Just a conversation between a criminal and a soldier."

"I'm not," Todd barely whispered out, his throat constricting with Spike's grip on his collar, "I'm not a criminal!"

"Shut up!" Spike launched a fierce punch against Todd's snout, sending him to the ground, and making the world spin a little faster than he had been hoping for.

"What is wrong with you?" Kyu shouted as a few of the other members in the crowd got a little riled, but none of the soldiers. Todd could already tell just from the looks on their faces. Some of them began to recognize him, while others were trying to picture why Todd even seemed familiar.

"I bet he hasn't told you then," Spike said with a snort and then turned to the rest of the people around him, "I bet most of you don't even realize!" He shouted with a bit of excitement. The crowd of people was confused, but they were silent with anticipation.

Todd started to push himself back up until a boot suddenly landed on him, pushing him back to the floor with a grunt. A stern looking female raven, also in uniform, stood over him and kept him to the floor with her military boots. Her eyes stared straight ahead, focused on Spike.

"This right here, is none other than Todd O'Donnell! The younger brother to the one and only, Wolf O'Donnell!" Spike shouted with a grin on his face as he jeered and pointed at Todd.

Shock overtook the air as any of the remaining vocal anger was strangled shut, and the people took a half-step away from the half-wolf held to the floor. Others, many of them soldiers, actually took a half-step forward with narrowed vision, stopped only by the calm voice of reason from others.

"He isn't worth it," one said.

"It's Wolf's brother, it'll only come back to bite you later." said another.

Eventually, Spike walked away along with the rest of the crowed. He had done what he had meant to, at least for now. Todd could still feel the boot imprint on his back even after the Raven let him be. Todd pushed against the floor and tried to stand up when he looked over to see Kyu.

She stood silent and surprised for only a moment, before her eyes changed. They turned cold, as cold as many others that Todd had seen. She marched off, boots stomping with measured anger as she disappeared from Todd's view. He sighed, unhindered by thoughts of her. In the end, it was the reason why he never wanted to tell people more than they needed to know. And now as people viewed him with anger, or chose to ignore him completely, it just confirmed to him that it was the right call. He moved a hand gingerly along his snout, feeling a welt forming, and finding a few droplets of blood on his hands after.

He finally got back onto his feet, and moved over to the line to find that many of the crew regarded him with even colder eyes, and some even looked frightened. As he tried to find his place in line, a few grim faces and sterns look told him he'd need to start all over. Near the back of the line, one person, a badger, tried to growl menacingly. Todd growled back, in a natural and deep tone that stunned those around him to silence, but kept his distance. He just wanted to get paid.

As the hour passed, Todd finally reached the office. He turned in his identification to a female chocolate-colored rabbit sitting at the front desk and waited. The clerk typed the name into the computer nonchalantly, "Just give us a minute while we cross-reference your name with any events and reprimands during the voyage."

"Take your time," Todd said simply as he continued to stand waiting.

After a minute of silence, and the edgy sound of pencil and pen against papers, the computer pinged and the clerk turned back to the screen. "All right, looks like everything's cleared with the voyage..." she started to scroll down and nodded her head a few times before a frown came over her. She paused a moment, and looked back up at Todd as she spoke slowly, "It looks like we won't be able to release your payment, there needs to be a more in-depth investigation."

Todd groaned as he narrowed his eyes at the clerk, "Regarding what?"

"I'm...afraid I'm not at liberty to say at-"

"Yes you are," Todd interrupted, losing a bit of his patience, "I know my rights as a freelancer. If there's an issue that needs to be investigated, I am allowed to know what the matter is regarding."

"Well..." The clerk started, suddenly feeling as if her years of experience within the office were good for nothing. She took a deep breath before she continued, "The investigation was implemented by an outside member of the military. And essentially, whenever someone not part of the voyage with military authority starts an investigation, the matter is considered classified..."

Todd started to grit his teeth in anger as a certain Iguana came to mind, "Spike..." He sighed as he leaned against the desk, causing the clerk to back away slightly, understandably. "Any idea how long the investigation will take?" He tried to say with restraint.

"No sir," the clerk said with a shake of her head as Todd nodded his head and started to leave the office, he'd have to tighten his belt for now. "Also sir," she started quickly causing Todd to jerk to a stop, "As long as this investigation is pending...I'm afraid we, and most other companies will be unable to...offer you contracts."

Todd felt a sudden wave of anger start from the pit of his stomach and rush up through his head. The day was getting better as he turned back around and faced the clerk once more. "So you're telling me, that I've been blacklisted?" He said in a voice that was much calmer than he had intended, to which the clerk meekly nodded her head. It wasn't until a moment later that he realized, he'd been growling the entire time, and most of the office had stopped doing what they had been doing. He stood back up, taking a deep breath before he scratched the back of his neck.

"Fine. There's nothing you can do anyways...I'll figure it out." He said with a resigned tone as he stepped out of the office. Many of the crewmembers still in line ducked out of the way to let Todd pass unhindered, but he largely ignored most of them. The only one that didn't move was an old Lion who he nearly bumped into.

The walk out of the port, and then the trip back to Keppler was a quick one. He didn't bother speaking to anyone, he just wasn't interested. When he finally came back to the Kuma Bar, it was dark outside and the bar itself was starting to get busy with noise and laughter. He walked in, ignoring any of the drunks, the soldiers and the part-timers helping out. It was easy to walk around the small groups of people there. It wasn't particularly crowded, just loud.

Finally, he put a hand on the simulator that was sitting in the corner and sat in it, tossing a coin into the machine as it started up.

Breaking that record would be good for how he felt at the moment.

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***author's note**: Most pilots in the Lylat system, especially elite pilots like the Star Fox and Star Wolf teams have their legs amputated and replaced with metal prosthetics, so that when they encounter extreme G-forces, the blood doesn't rush farther away from their heads, and their heart has an easier time pumping it back to where pilots need it. This information is really cool, and was confirmed by Nintendo Power, and I believe during an early Star Fox comic. Although I wanted to discuss this in more detail for Todd, there wasn't really any place that didn't feel like I was forcing it, so I'll have to discuss it later. I added this in as an author's note simply because it is somewhat relevant, and deserves to be common knowledge.

Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed the read

- Hawk Strife


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